You better believe it. From video-chat leader Skype to upstart “social dating” sites like Zoosk (essentially, an application that turns your MySpace or Facebook into a meat market), there’s never been a better time to be an ultra-discriminating dater.

“If you’re not sure if you want to drop $100 on dinner, it’s a good way to go,” says Ryan Dodge, 27, who tested out video-dating for Glamour.com using Skype in a speed-Webcam-dating partnership starting today. “Video dating is going to happen — so you might as well get in on the ground floor.”

Even more awesome?

Because your “date” can only see you from the waist up, you don’t even have to wear pants.

Oh, and another bonus? Using the live-chat technology makes you feel very “Charlie’s Angels” meets “The Jetsons,” except for real.

And, no pants!

But, wait. Doesn’t this make a girl or a guy asked to Internet date a huge loser not even worth a face-to-face meeting?

“You could look at it two ways,” Dodge says. “Why does he want to video date and not meet, or if he didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t contact you at all.”

Hooray!

From a ladies’ perspective, fellow blogger Erin Meanley adds that it works to a woman’s advantage, too.

“I found it pretty handy because if you do online dating, you see photos that are three years old. Guys notice when they lose their hair, but they don’t notice that when they gain 10 pounds, they look different.”

This is just the tip of the iceberg as to what’s to come, says Marc Lesnick, organizer of iDate, the Internet

Dating Conference.

“Video chatting is starting to pick up more and more than before. To a large degree, it’s protection of identity. People want to know the other person is real.”

Observes Jamie Sorcher, so-called Gadget Girl at Skype, “New Yorkers say there are about 9 million things they’d rather do than go out on a date with the wrong person. So this is a way to know if there’s a potential love connection.”

From the male or female perspective, the most terrifying prospect of all is coming across as a double-chinned, crazy-haired, poorly lit “before” picture with zero social skills. To avoid this, Glamour equipped both bloggers with some of the best tips available to look and act hot in all of Skype’s 640-by-480-pixel glory (see sidebar).

First and foremost, says dating expert Rachel Greenwald, author of “Why He Didn’t Call You Back,” do quality prep work beforehand. Think: planned icebreakers — “What’s your favorite Michael Jackson song?” — and a selectively chosen, brightly colored top to complement your eyes. And whatever you do, get rid of that framed picture of your ex-husband — or the Che Guevara poster — you’ve got in the background.

But if paying $30 for the Webcam to outfit Skype on your machine is too much, consider another new trend in online dating: Zoosk. Known as “social dating,” the application changes your MySpace or Facebook into a dating experience where friends can chime in and friends can give “testimonials.”

“It’s harder to hit on a woman alone in a bar, and similarly, Zoosk allows testimonials and provides support to boost your experience,” says Alex Mehr, co-founder of the company, which has more than 35 million users and is adding 100,000 new users each day.

“You can also get feedback from friends about a guy you want to go out with, so it’s essentially simulating the real world out of a computer.”

But whatever you do — don’t reject a prospect during an instant-message chat, Zoosk exchange or during an actual video date.

“If you’re looking to get out of it graciously, say, ‘I so enjoyed talking to you, but my calendar is in the other room,” Greenwald advises.

Or for the truly aggressive, just set your away message to: “No chance in hell, buddy.”

8 Skype speed-dating tips

1. “Decide what to wear according to what looks best from the ribs upward. Your date will only see your upper half,” says Rachel Greenwald.

2. Necklines are key. Super-cleavage is going to look slutsville, and a soft lamp behind you will look hot. “Men: no stains or slogans on your T-shirts,” Greenwald says.

3. Best angle to avoid a case of the chins: Elevate the laptop on two phone books and tilt the screen slightly down.

4. See what you really look like ahead of time using video-capture Snapz to evaluate all those not-so-adorable tics.

5. “Take a few sips of wine to relax,” Greenwald says. Don’t sip throughout the date. You’ll look like a lush and have to duck out, leaving the screen blank.

6. Use silly icebreakers. “You are not a Census taker!” Greenwald says. She likes: “What’s your best secret skill?”

7. Prep the way you would for an in-bar meeting. High-quality

vid means that your crazy hair

and lack of makeup will look exactly like that. But wearing a top hat and lighting sexytime candles is probably overkill.

8. Never underestimate the importance of smiling and

“direct eye contact,” says Skype’s Jamie Sorcher. If you look away, you look like a sketchball.

And, because it’s Skype, you might be a sketchball . . . wearing no pants.